Fall is Prime Time in Hells Canyon! Trip report on our 4-day fishing trip!

Hanging out around the campfire is one of my favorite things to do on fall float trips. 
I pack in firewood in a dry bag so we have plenty. 

Hi all, 

A week ago, I had the privilege of visiting Hells Canyon once again on a fall fishing trip with a small group of good friends. Even though I've done tons of fall trips in Hells Canyon, I always am awe-struck by the steep, gnarled black cliffs rising from the canyon below Hells Canyon Dam. 

It's truly a magnificent sight to behold on a sunny day. On a rainy day, like we surprisingly had last Thursday, we had jet-black skies threatening overhead, combined with the austere black cliffs of Hells Canyon. My gut was churning big-time. 

Looks like rain! I hate rigging and packing my raft in the rain! But at the beginning of a trip, I've always got a ton of adrenaline pouring through me - a mix of excitement about being on the river again, apprehension about the big rapids in the biggest-scale whitewater experience in Idaho, overstressing about what I forgot or didn't forget in terms of group gear, and now, the weather. Whatever!   

We caught lots of nice small-mouth bass, all catch and release. Fun fighters! 

We got the boats loaded before the rain hit, and then we sat out the first burst of rain under a shelter at the put-in. And then it let up for a few hours. 

Time to start floating and fishing! My friends Jim Acee and Bruce Reichert were in the front of my raft, and Acee was ready to slay the bass and trout with two fishing poles in hand and all of the trusty spin-cast lures that work in Hells Canyon. Bruce was spin-fishing for the first time in decades since he normally fly fishes at high mountain lakes. But within minutes, both of them had fish on! 

Very slowly, I worked the eddies alongside the river, and the boys caught a number of small-mouth bass. Very few trout! 

In less than 4 miles, we made camp on this cool sand bar and natural cove in the cliffs on river right. Looking up at the sky, I could see a few patches of blue, but it looked mostly dark and more rain imminent. We put up my big-ass 16x20 foot tarp, set up our kitchen stuff under that, and we were ready to sip cocktails and enjoy the scenery, rain or no rain. 

My tarp is big enough to cover the kitchen area, plus lawn chairs!  

As many Idaho boaters know, fall river trips are a great way to enjoy cooler weather, fall colors, as well as fishing and bird hunting along the way, side-hikes, etc. Hells Canyon is one of my top picks because road access is relatively easy from Boise (5-hour drive), it's got more water flow (7,000-11,000 cfs) than other Idaho rivers this time of year, and the fishing is very consistent and pretty amazing, considering the variety of fish in the Snake River. 

People fish for rainbow trout, small-mouth bass, and sturgeon, plus steelhead are running now, and fall Chinook salmon also are running now. If you don't have your own raft, you can go with a Hells Canyon outfitter or book a jet boat ride with Hells Canyon Adventures, Hammer Down River Excursions, Kilgore Outfitters and more. See Riggins Chamber or IOGA for a full list of outfitters.

The logistics for Hells Canyon are as follows: Put in a Hells Canyon Dam and float to Pittsburg Landing, a distance of about 35 miles. This trip is easily doable in three or four days. My advice: Take as much time as possible. After Labor Day, only self-issue permits are required, available at the put-in. Shuttles can be arranged through Scotty's gas station in Pine, Oregon for $225 cash. They do a marvelous job!

Below Sheep Creek ... sturgeon road ahead! 

On Day 2, I had Bruce oar the raft and I fished with Jim in the bow. The fishing was hot! We hooked a ton of bass throughout the day. We cast against the black canyon cliffs into these nifty little coves and small pools, and bam! Fish on! We released all of the bass because we had Bruce's famous chicken piccata to look forward to for dinner! Plus pineapple upsidedown cake in the Dutch oven.

But first, we ran Wild Sheep Rapids, the first big Class 4 drop at about Mile 8. I went up on the mountainside to scout the big rapid, and at 7,000+ cfs, the best route looked like the typical run for this time of year. You enter on the left-center side of this massive rapids, and then row super hard to the right-center of the rapids, and hit a narrow slot as a giant left lateral wave merges with a giant right lateral wave.

We saw a group of kayakers and one raft approach, and the lead kayaker was barking orders to the other kayakers and they didn't scout. Well, the lead kayaker made the right move, and the rest of the kayakers got absolutely slammed by a wall of 12-foot left lateral waves on the left-center side of the rapids. That was interesting to watch! Long swims for those dudes. 

Bruce and Jim 

But I hit the slot, and Kristin Nelson nailed the run as well in our group, so we were homefree to make our next camp and enjoy Bruce's chicken piccata. This time around, Bruce moisturized his dried morels with white wine, and that really added a tasty zip to those luscious shrooms! 

Third night camp. Rosy clouds hint of the sunset to come.

The next day, we needed to make some tracks. We floated through all of the whitewater rapids without a problem, caught more bass, and lunched at Johnson Bar. We ended up at Caribou Creek camp that night and had chili from Kristin and her husband, John Blanchard. The sun came out with a vengeance that afternoon, to the point where I had to swim to cool off! Quite the contrast to the start of our trip. 

Anyway, I highly recommend a fall trip in Hells Canyon. 

Here are a few other options for fall trips:     

• Lower Salmon Canyon - Float from Hammer Creek to Heller Bar or arrange for a jet boat shuttle to Pittsburg Landing from the mouth of the Salmon. It's almost 50 miles from Hammer Creek to the mouth of the Salmon, and the river is running very low, so allow for plenty of time to do your float. Fishing is limited to small-mouth bass and steelhead in this section. 
• Salmon River near Riggins - If you don't have time to do a longer trip, you could put in at Carey Creek or Vinegar Creek and float down to Riggins while fishing for steelhead and hunting chukars. 
• South Fork Snake River - Put in at Palisades Dam for the long version of the float or at Swan Valley and float to the takeout at Heise. The South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley does shuttles. Check with the experts on what kinds of flies the fish are taking. The cuts on the South Fork get fished very hard by a steady stream of outfitters every day. By this time of year, it's more locals than outfitters. Here's a blog post I did on the South Fork two years ago. 

Fall trips provide great opportunities to see wildlife.
We've seen multiple black bears in Hells Canyon. 

Steve talks about his latest outdoor adventures with Ken and Melissa on 94.9 FM The River every Friday morning at about 7:40 a.m. Please tune in! 

10 must-see, must-do outdoorsy ideas for the 4th of July holiday and Summer 2022

If you've got a suitable 4x4, truck camping in hard-to-reach places can be gratifying! 

Hi all, 

The 4th of July long weekend is coming up! Many people have already made plans, but in case you haven't and need some inspiration, I am recommending 10 must-see, must-do activities not only for this weekend, but for the whole summer season:

1. Float a river (day trip) - we're blessed with so many options here, but the summer season is now open on the Boise River! See details about floating the Boise River, renting a raft, etc. Warm summer weather also gets people jazzed about floating the Payette River, either the Main Payette, South Fork Payette or Cabarton run on the North Fork. Check with Cascade Raft & Kayak, Bear Valley Rafting, Idaho Whitewater Unlimited and the Payette River Company about guided trips. The Payette's calmer sections are great for stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), sit-on-top kayaking and canoeing. See my post about 10 premium locations to go kayaking or SUP'ing in SW Idaho. 

Float a river! This is on the Cabarton stretch of the Payette River. 

2. Climb a mountain - The pinnacle is to climb Mount Borah, but there are so many other options in Idaho, with dozens of peaks over 10,000 feet and 8 peaks over 12,000 feet. See Idaho mountain expert Tom Lopez's list of recommended mountain peaks. McCall mountain expert John Platt also has an extensive list of peaks and mountains that he's climbed. 

3. Ride the ski lift to the top of Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain, Tamarack Resort or Sun Valley and go hiking or biking from there.

4. Take your kids fishing - See the list of Idaho Fish and Game's Family Fishing Waters to find some great recommendations close to home.

5. Go backpacking in the Sawtooths, White Clouds, Pioneers or Big Lost Mountain Range. Snow levels are at roughly 7,500-8,000 feet in the Sawtooths, creek crossings are high and hazardous, See Michael Lanza's recommended hikes in the Sawtooths in his blog, the Big Outside. See a recommended major loop in the White Clouds in Backpacker mag. For a great hike in the Pioneers, see my blog post about hiking Broad Canyon. For the Big Lost range, see this overview in Summit Post.com.   

6. Sleep under the stars in a dark sky venue like Bear Valley in the Boise National Forest, the Owyhee Canyonlands or outside of Stanley.

Catch a trout on the Middle Fork Salmon River. 

7. Fly into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and go fly-fishing for native cutthroat trout. Air taxi services in Boise, Cascade or McCall can take you into the Middle Fork in less than an hour. All fishing is catch and release.

8. Go mountain biking on a classic loop trail like Fisher-Williams in the White Clouds, Loon Lake north of McCall or Around the Mountain at Bogus Basin. 

Climbing up a short hill to finish the Fisher-Williams Loop (courtesy Salsa cycles)

9. Go SUP'ing, boating or swimming in a refreshing, natural Idaho mountain lake like Payette Lake, Redfish Lake, or Priest Lake. See my post on 10 perfect paddling destinations for kayaking and SUPs in SW Idaho for ideas. 

10. Go car camping in the Middle Fork Boise River area, North Fork Boise River area, the Middle Fork of the Payette River area or Bear Valley. There are some reservable fee campgrounds and some dispersed camping areas. See the Boise National Forest, Payette National Forest or Sawtooth National Forest web sites for more information. 

For further enrichment on Idaho bucket list trips, see an Idaho bucket list post from Boise State radio, and a post that I did listing another 30 bucket list trips that they didn't cover. 

Remember: Be smart about Fire Safety this weekend ... we put out a post yesterday from Recreate Responsibly Idaho reminding folks that no fireworks are allowed on public lands, no exploding shooting targets, and be sure to put out your campfire before you leave the site ... make sure it is completed out, cold to the touch. 
- SS

Plan a fall trip to Priest Lake, and go camping, boating, SUP'ing, fishing, biking or hiking!

Riding the shady Lakeshore Trail on a warm summer day at Priest Lake. 

Hi all, 

It's no secret that Priest Lake is one of Idaho's crown jewels, nestled in the Idaho Panhandle. A recent trip to Priest Lake reminded me what a truly special place it is! For one thing, it's a BIG lake! Almost 20 miles long and 4.4 miles wide, with lots of coves and bays. Just a gorgeous place to be.

I went swimming, mountain biking and fishing on this particular trip, which was mainly a work trip. The boating is fantastic on the lake, and a newly deepened Thorofare channel provides clear and easy access for SUPs, kayaks, canoes and power boats to Upper Priest Lake.

The Thorofare Channel provides an intimate experience on the way to Upper Priest Lake.

But my oh my, Priest Lake has definitely been discovered! I couldn't believe how booked all of the lodging properties were at Priest Lake when I inquired in mid-June about 2 nights in late July. Nothing. Zilch. Everything was booked solid through Labor Day weekend. 

This September or October would be a great time to plan a road trip to Priest Lake. Try to reserve a spot at Beaver Creek Campground, book a spot at one of the State Park units on the east side of the lake, or reserve a cabin/room at Hill's Resort or Elkin's Resort. Beaver Creek CG provides excellent access to the Thorofare channel, as does the Lionhead unit of Priest Lake State Park. However, it looks like only on the Indian Creek unit of the park will be open this fall because of road construction.

Some things I'd recommend doing while you're visiting Priest Lake: 

• Go mountain biking on the Lake Shore Trail. It's a 7-mile intermediate ride along the west shoreline of Priest Lake to the northern end of the lake. The singletrack trail winds through the dark shadowy cedar forests above the lakeshore and then drops down to the lake, where you can take a swim, and then climbs again into the trees. The trail is pretty smooth with some roots and rocks. Super fun! 
• At the end of the Lake Shore Trail, you can keep going on the Priest Lake Navigation Trail, a singletrack which continues in a northerly direction and connects to Upper Priest Lake. The Navigation trail runs for about 5 miles to a dead-end at Upper Priest. Turn around, and retrace your tracks to the trailhead. Take your time and enjoy it! It's just so unusual to be able to ride along the shore of a beautiful lake, without it being a suffer fest like so many other Idaho mountain trails!

  

  The newly deepened Thorofare channel is popular with all kinds of boaters.
  

  
  
  
• Paddle or SUP the Thorofare to Upper Priest Lake. It's only about 2.5 miles to the upper lake.  
  

A kayaker comes equipped to go fishing at the tip of the new Breakwater feature.

Priest Lake Flickr page shows the Breakwater feature prior to the lake refilling this spring.

• Go boating on Priest Lake. For folks who have their own power boat or sail boat, it's a big lake to explore! With 80 miles of shoreline, the lake also has many sandy beach type areas where you can pull up, hang out and go swimming or whatever.  

  

  Craig Hill of Hill's Resort tows a waterskier on an early morning sheet of glass on Priest Lake.
  

  
  
• Stay at Hill's Resort or Elkin's Resorts and live it up a little! Both provide comfortable lodging,  outdoor dining and boat access to the lake. Hill's also has golf. 
• Bring your fishing pole. Priest Lake has a mix of warm water and cold water fish species that you can catch including cutthroat trout, small mouth bass and lake trout. Thanks to IDFG for the information. 

  

  Upper Priest River Trail (courtesy Dave 'n Kathy's Vagabond Blog)
  

  
  
  
• Hike or bike the Upper Priest River Trail - This is a 16-mile out-and-back trip or 20 miles total to a natural waterfall and pool at the Canadian border. The Upper Priest River Trail is also the northern-most section of the Idaho Centennial Trail. It's a super cool hike/ride through cedars and rotting old-growth trees on the ground that have blondish lichens growing on them. Sometimes I thought I was seeing a grizzly out of the corner of my eye when I rode that trail. 

That ought to keep you busy for a while! Have fun!
- SS

Three places to cool-off, camp, fish or paddle in Central Idaho, plus Stage 1 fire restrictions in effect!

Alturas Lake (courtesy Triangle C)

Hi all, 

I hope everyone is finding ways to stay cool and close to water in the midst of this major heat wave in Idaho. 

Between the smoke from wildfires causing air quality issues, combined with the heat, it's hard to get that motivated to leave the comforts of A/C. 

But in reality, the higher-elevations in Central Idaho are a great place to go, and maybe the smoke and heat will keep some people camping on the couch at home! 

This week for my outdoor tip, I'm recommending three somewhat off-beat locations for high-elevation outdoor outings near water in Central Idaho. You can go paddling, fishing or camping in these locations or just sit on the river bank or lake shore, and soak your feet in the water. Can you feel it? 

Before I share my recommendations, I've got two things to share re: trip-planning. 

1. Head's up: The Forest Service, BLM and Idaho Department of Lands have gone to Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Southwest Idaho, Central Idaho and North-Central Idaho. Those restrictions kick in today (July 15) and tomorrow. KVTB story here. 

The fire restrictions mean that it's illegal to have a campfire unless you're camping in an official campground, where they have those large circular metal fire-containment structures. See the KTVB story for details. 

Air Now Fire and Smoke map screenshot. (Courtesy of Air Now)

2. Smoke map. I like this Air Now interactive Fire and Smoke map.  Good way to see what's going on with fire smoke not only in Idaho, but in the Pacific Northwest or beyond. If you're a skier, your login for OpenSnow.com should work for OpenSummit.com. OpenSummit has some great interactive smoke maps as well, which will give you a sense of how the smoke plumes will play out over the next 24 hours. 

Now, as to my recommendations in no particular order:

• Deadwood Reservoir (elev. 5,334') - The lengthy drive from Cascade or the Banks-to-Lowman road usually keeps the crowds down at Deadwood. You can go boating, SUP'ing, camping or fishing. The fishing is quite diverse, with the possibility of catching rainbow or cutthroat trout, Atlantic salmon, or kokanee salmon. Some of the campgrounds can be reserved via Recreation.gov.

  

  Deadwood Reservoir, courtesy Peak Visor
  

  
  
• Landmark (elev. 6,630') - East of Cascade via the Warm Lake Road, you can go camping in this area at one of several Forest Service campgrounds like Penny Springs, go fishing in Johnson Creek or maybe float a section of Johnson Creek in a SUP, kayak or canoe. Road-scout the section you're going to try to look for trees across the creek (strainers). In Landmark, you're relatively close to Yellow Pine, if you'd like to take a side trip, and close to some access points on the west side of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.

  

  Johnson Creek airstrip provides quick access to Yellow Pine.
  

  
  
• Alturas or Petit Lake (elev. 7,000'), Sawtooth Valley - It looks like the official campgrounds at these lakes are reserved or close-to-full. Perhaps you can find another place to camp in the valley or stay at Smiley Creek Lodge. You can catch rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bull trout and kokanee at Alturas Lake. More details on the IDFG fishing planner. At Petit Lake, the same species are available, plus brook trout. More details on the IDFG fishing planner. 

There you have it! Have fun out there!
- SS

Find your Private Idaho at Harriman State Park, Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail in E. Idaho

Hi all,

Last week, I traveled to Salmon and Eastern Idaho to work on some conservation stories, and Wendy agreed to meet up with me at Harriman State Park last Thursday to stay in one of their yurts and spend time in that quiet, beautiful corner of Idaho.

We planned a long weekend to ride the cool bike trails at Harriman, do some fishing, maybe float the Big Springs section of the Henry's Fork in our double inflatable kayak, and ride the Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail. I always like to stop by Mesa and Lower Mesa Falls while I'm in the 'hood, too.

We got a great start to our little stay-cation Thursday afternoon. We checked into the Wythea yurt after 3 p.m., rode the bike trail around Silver Lake, saw a yearling moose in the woods, and then went over to the historic cabins overlooking Millionaire's Hole on the Henry's Fork and soaked in the grandeur of the scene.

Here's a long-form video that I produced several years ago for Life on the Range about the history, fishing, recreation and grazing at Harriman Park:

If you haven't ever been to Harriman State Park, it's truly one of Idaho's gems in the state park system.

Looking out into all of that gorgeous open space in the meadows surrounding the Henrys Fork leading up to Last Chance and Island Park is quite a sight to behold. If you hang out by Millionaire's Hole in the evening, you might see elk and moose wander out into the open at dusk. It's a place that always takes my breath away.

The Harriman Family gifted the property to the state of Idaho back in the 1960s under a provision that Idaho would have to create a state parks system to receive that incredible gift. Former Gov. Robert Smylieand the Idaho Legislature came through in 1965, creating the state park system and Harriman State Park became an official state property.

Wendy and I went out to eat at the Trout Hunter's Lodge in Island Park Thursday night, right on the banks of the Henrys Fork as multiple bug hatches were swirling above the river in the evening twilight.

I didn't sleep very well in the yurt that night. The next morning, I woke up with diarrhea. That continued through the morning, and I felt like crap. Must have picked up some bad water or food along the way, and it was hitting me like a ton of bricks. Wendy had reserved a room in Ashton that night, and I headed for the hotel to sleep it off being close to a bathroom. So much for doing anything on Friday for me. Wendy went swimming and met up with an old friend is Island Park for dinner.

I slept from 2-10 p.m. that day in the hotel room. I woke for a few minutes, and then slept through the night to 6 a.m. The diarrhea continued. But I had enough energy to drive home to Boise. I threw my stuff in the car and zipped home on the freeway. Because diarrhea is listed as one of the possible symptoms of COVID-19, I called Primary Health and signed up for a test at noon on Saturday to follow protocol.

Knowing that it'd take 3-5 days to get test results back, we had to cancel our Lower Salmon River trip, planned for Tuesday-Sunday this week before Quinn goes back to Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire to finish his senior year. DAMN! That pissed me off. And it was depressing.

I was pretty sure I just had a stomach bug. But my oh my, it was a doozy. It knocked me down with fatigue for three days. I finally started feeling a bit better by Sunday evening, and then Monday I felt much more energetic, but I still couldn't eat anything and had no appetite because of the Imodium I was taking to treat the loose bowels. Finally, Tuesday, I emerged feeling more normal, and Wednesday morning, I got learned that my COVID test was NEGATIVE. 

Anyway, I still would recommend a fun stay-cation in the Island Park area to do the things mentioned above. Here are some links to find the fun:

Harriman State Park - The 16,000-acre park has 22 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. You can go on a guided horseback ride, too. Rent a yurt or one of their cool cabins and stay in that gorgeous spot to soak up the scenery and enjoy all of the amenities right out the back door. 

Ashton-Tetonia Rail-Trail - The trail is 29.6 miles long. You can start in Ashton and ride to Tetonia or vice-versa. There's a local shuttle service available. It's a gravel surface trail with several very high bridges over Fall River and Bitch Creek (the tallest and longest one). You can see the backside of the Teton Range and the Grand Teton as you're riding the trail through seed potato fields and grain fields. Very quiet and lightly used trail.

Floating and fishing the Henry's Fork - There are many sources that are more knowledgeable than I am about fishing the Henry's Fork, but suffice to say, it's a very challenging stream to fly fish. People come from all over the world to do it because of the large rainbow trout that lurk below the surface. If you don't fish, there are numerous sections of the Henrys Fork that you can float in a raft, drift boat, IK or SUP. Pick up a map of the Henrys Fork in Island Park or Harriman Park. The Big Springs section is crystal clear. Really special.

Mesa Falls - 114-foot Upper Mesa Falls is the tallest and most spectacular of the two falls. Take the scenic drive from Ashton or Island Park to the falls and take the short walk over to an overlook to see the falls. Well worth the drive and the walk!

Have fun and be well!

- SS

A multitude of mountain lakes and hikes beckon in NW McCall

Hi all,

It seems that many visitors to McCall are attracted to the Lick Creek Road area for hiking to high mountain lakes for day trips or backpacking. Actually, the high country around McCall has high mountain lakes in many locations. But you shouldn't overlook the hikes and lakes off Goose Lake Road.

That's my topic this week.

Previously, I've blogged about numerous kid-friendly short hikes in McCall, including going to Upper Hazard Lake off the Goose Lake Road. Most of the hikes/lakes in that area are kid-friendly, from super young kids to teen-agers. Think about bringing a fishing pole. Don't forget your bug stuff, either.

Wendy and I joined our COVID buddies Mark and Laurie Anderson for a super pleasant hike to the Grassy Mountain Lakes last Saturday. Wendy and Laurie also were interested in climbing to the top of Granite Mountain, but since Mark and I had done that a number of times, we went for the Grassy Mountain Lakes.

Driving up the Goose Lake Road, it's pretty obvious that Goose Lake itself is well-known and popular with campers, paddlers, anglers, SUPs, etc.

It took a little over 30 minutes from McCall to the well-marked trailhead for Grassy Mountain. It's only two miles to the lakes. We hiked to the top of Grassy Mountain for a bigger view of the whole countryside, and my oh my, what a view! The Wallowas way off to the west. Cuddy Mountain. Seven Devils. Bruin Mountain. Hard Butte. Patrick Butte. The Little Salmon River canyon. The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. And then looking back to McCall, you can see a whole series of peaks and ridge-tops that comprise the Payette Crest. In other words, it's God's Country!

All of that is really inspiring to me, refreshes my soul.

We even found some snow on top of the mountain for Huck to check into for a fresh drink.

Looking west, we also could see Coffee Pot Lake, Disappointment Lake and Lake Serene. We'd leave those for another day, since we were day hiking.

On our way back, we took a dive in upper Grassy Mountain Lake, and that was super refreshing ...

Farther up the Goose Lake Road, you'll also should check out:

    - Hazard Lake and Upper Hazard Lake - car-camping, hiking and fishing at the main lake, with an option to hike to Upper Hazard on an easy trail. 

    - Twin Lakes, Hard Butte Lakes, Rainbow Lake - Much longer drive to the end of the Goose Lake Road to reach those lakes. Park and hike from there. I've biked to Twin Lakes and Rainbow Lake.

    - Climb Hard Butte if you're in the 'hood.

Pick up a McCall Adventure Map or a Payette National Forest map for driving directions and general reference. I also like to create a more detailed topo map for my hikes for easier route-finding.

Have fun!

- SS

 

Explore the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway - A stellar 3-day trip from Halfway to Joseph

Hi all,

The Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is not that well-known, but it's a pretty cool scenic drive in my book. The whole loop around the Wallowa Mountains is 213 miles on the Oregon side of the Snake River. Take your time and soak in the scenery.

On the first couple days of Cycle Oregon three years ago, Wendy and I and 2,000 other cyclists rode the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway from Baker to Halfway, and then we all did a HUGE 95-mile day from Halfway to Wallowa Lake State Park via the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway and Forest Road #39.

After doing that ride, I wanted to come back and explore the Forest Road #39 area in particular, and just do some leisurely camping and hiking. My buddy Norm Nelson was game to go over there last week, so we did a 3-day trip, hanging out mostly around the Imnaha River campgrounds, and doing some hiking and fishing.

For my blog post this week, I'm recommending a bigger 3-day itinerary for families and friends that covers a few more popular sights along the way.

For Day 1, I'd recommend driving I-84 to Baker, Oregon (2 hours travel time), and then take the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, Oregon Highway 86 to Halfway, Oregon (1 hour+ driving time), the gateway to the southern end of the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness. After a half day's drive, take a break, and enjoy the clean mountain air and impressive views of the Wallowas.

In Halfway, perhaps stay at a local Bed and Breakfast like the Inn at Clear Creek Farm, the Pine Valley Lodge, or the Halfway Motel and RV Park.

For Day 2, go east on the scenic byway toward Oxbow Dam in Hells Canyon. About 10 miles east of Halfway, turn left on Forest Road #39 (curvy paved road) and drive 20+ miles over the first big summit and visit the Hells Canyon Overlook. There's a rest room there, parking, and a paved accessible trail to a stupendous view of Hells Canyon.  

Last week, the overlook area was smothered with wildflowers of all kinds. The tell-tale peaks of the Seven Devils poked up on the Idaho horizon. Looking below, I could follow ridgelines plunging over 5,000 feet down to the Snake River (can't see the actual river). It kind of takes your breath away. I've been down in the bottom many times staring up from the river at the forested peaks looming above. 

After visiting the overlook, drop down to the Imnaha River campgrounds. There are a number of campgrounds that you could choose from along the main road, or up a separate road to the Imnaha River trailhead to the Eagle Cap Wilderness. We stayed at Indian Crossing Campground and had plenty of elbow room. We went hiking upriver to try out the fishing (water was very high and fast), and the Blue Hole advertised on the map and signs seemed pretty quiet.

It was still fun to climb down to the river, stand on a nicely-positioned casting rock, and cast some dry flies in the stillwater pool to see if anything might rise to the surface.

The Imnaha River hiking trail was very easy walking ... totally buffed and well-maintained in the lower 3-4 miles.

Other campgrounds in the immediate area include: Coverdale, Hidden, Ollokot, Blackhorse and Lick Creek (top of 2nd summit). There are a number of primitive self-support pull-out spots as well.

For Day 3, I'd recommend taking Forest Road #39 over Lick Creek summit and Salt Creek Summit and head for Joseph and Wallowa Lake State Park. The drive will take a couple of hours. Joseph is a charming little town with cool brew pubs, sidewalk cafes, art galleries and museums.

Book a room in Joseph or camp at Wallowa Lake State Park and you can't go wrong. The views from Wallowa Lake State Park are drop-dead gorgeous of the lake and the north end of the Wallowa Mountains/Eagle Cap Wilderness. There's hiking readily accessible up the West Fork or East Fork of Wallowa Creek. And there's the Wallowa Lake Tramway, which provides a quick trip to the rooftop of the Eagle Caps. There's food and drink available at the top.

According to the Wallowa Tramway web site, in 15 minutes, you ride from the bottom terminal (elevation 4,450 feet) up to the stop of Mt. Howard at 8,150 feet. The mountain is named for Major General Oliver O. Howard, who led U.S. troops in the Nez Perce War of 1877 and drove Chief Joseph and his people out of their ancestral homeland.

On Day 4, return to SW Idaho (or wherever your home might be) on Highway 82 back to La Grande, hop on I-84 and it's 2.5 hours back to Boise.

There you have it!

- SS

"Shadowy" St. Joe River country offers the full-meal deal for outdoor recreation

Watching the gin-clear St. Joe River glide downriver, about 60 miles upstream from St. Maries, Idaho, it flows with that same emerald-green beauteous color that you see on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River or the Selway.

Cold, clear, pure water flowing out of the wilderness. The St. Joe runs for 140 miles from the top of Bitterroot Mountains in the St. Joe National Forest. Sixty-six miles of the St. Joe are protected under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. Locals call it the "shadowy" St. Joe because of the dense forests that enshroud the river canyon like a dark cape.

I drove a shuttle, took pics and marveled at the beauty of the St. Joe while Wendy floated the river in an IK on a sunny afternoon last week as part of a 4-day camping trip. Floating and fishing are two of MANY activities that you can enjoy in the St. Joe country. During our stay, we went hiking, biking and took a scenic drive on the way south to visit the Hobo Cedar Grove, a beautiful pocket of giant old western red cedar trees.

In other trips to the St. Joe, I've ridden the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail, backpacked to Arid Peak Lookout and paddled the lower St. Joe through the ribbon of cottonwood trees heading into Lake Coeur d'Alene. The whole area is just kind of a perfect outdoor recreation playground for all of those activities. We also saw hundreds of ATV/UTV riders who assembled for a big campout and group ride in Avery, turning the tiny mountain hamlet into a RV city.

Highlights from our trip:

Hiking – We hiked across a neat cable suspension bridge to access the Allen Ridge Trail, which rises  several thousand feet above the St. Joe River. We hiked up to a cool viewpoint with our friends David and Carol Lindsay of Coeur d’Alene. The trail runs for 3.7 miles before intersecting a forest road. It starts out at a nice grade and gets progressively steeper as you climb. 

Floating – There are at least six different sections of the St. Joe that you can float, depending on whether you’d like to run a little whitewater or whether you’d prefer relaxing flatwater. Wendy paddled a 6-mile section of the river that was Class 1-2 all the way, but absolutely gorgeous. See the Forest Service St. Joe River guide on details.

Fishing – We saw more fly fishermen than anything else in the upper section of the St. Joe River canyon. It’s a blue-ribbon fishery with native west slope cutthroat trout. Cutthroat trout fishing is all catch-and-release only, but general limits apply for all other species. Here's more information on fishing the St. Joe provided by Idaho Fish and Game. 

Camping – It’s no secret that the St. Joe country is a cool place to go camping. There are hundreds of RVs camped out in private campgrounds in the river bottoms on the way up the St. River River Road, and then there are many USFS campgrounds and dispersed camping areas farther up the road. We came in on a Wednesday afternoon, and I’m glad we did, because many of the campgrounds were full or close to full mid-week.

Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area – We decided to take a “short-cut” to Clarkia on Forest Road 321 so we could see some views off the top of the mountains along the way and visit the Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area. It was a 30-mile short-cut that took at least 1.5 hours to drive. The road was listed as a major access route on the forest map, but it was pretty much a typical bumpy, twisty single-lane Forest Service road. It was cool to see some new country along the way. The Hobo cedar grove had a nice educational interpretive trail, some wildflowers that we hadn’t seen before, and of course, towering cedar trees looming above. Barely anything grew underneath the forest canopy except for lady ferns.

Traveling to the St. Joe - We took Highway 3 from U.S. 12 near Lewiston to climb the Potlatch River grade and enjoy a scenic drive to St. Maries on the way up. Once in St. Maries, stock up on ice and last-minute supplies go east on the St. Joe River road to find a camping spot and begin your adventure. Pick up a St. Joe National Forest map before you go (Avery Ranger Station is not manned or open), but there are many pamphlets and brochures on things to do in the local area inside the front door of the ranger station. You might look into a camping reservation on recreation.gov to pick a Forest Service campsite.

Have fun!
- SS

Summer vacation is on the wane! Two weekends left before school starts!

Steve backpacking in the Red Mountain Lakes area.

Hi all,

Sad but true, summer vacation is on the wane! There are only two weekends left before Boise Schools start up on Monday, Aug. 19. How have you done on your summer outdoor punch list?

Taking a look back at my many recommendations for summer, let's review your options for what to do!  

1. Float a river (day trip) - we're blessed with so many options here, but have you floated the Boise River? How about the Payette River -- there's the Main Payette, South Fork Payette or Cabarton run on the North Fork. Check with Cascade Raft, Idaho Whitewater Unlimited, Bear Valley or the Payette River Company about guided trips. The Payette's calmer sections are great for stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), sit-on-top kayaking and canoeing.

Float a river! This is on the Cabarton stretch of the Payette River. 

2. Climb a mountain - The pinnacle is to climb Mount Borah, but there are so many other options in Idaho, with dozens of peaks over 10,000 feet and 8 peaks over 12,000 feet. See Idaho mountain expert Tom Lopez's list of recommended mountain peaks. McCall mountain expert John Platt also has an extensive list of peaks and mountains that he's climbed.

3. Ride the ski lift to the top of Bogus Basin, Brundage Mountain or Sun Valley and go hiking or biking from there. Bogus is going to give away a free season pass to whoever is the 100,000th person to ride the mountain coaster this weekend. Sounds like a reason to go! Brundage recently opened a new intermediate-level mountain bike trail. They've also got Emily Tipton playing Friday night as part of the TGIF concert series and a Caribbean dinner planned. Hope the Netheker fire burning near Burgdorf doesn't create a lot of smoke! #prayforburgdorf!

4. Take your kids fishing - See the list of Idaho Fish and Game's Family Fishing Waters to find some great recommendations close to home.

Go hiking in the Sawtooths (photo courtesy Michael Lanza/The Big Outside)

5. Go backpacking in the Sawtooths, White Clouds, Pioneers or Big Lost Mountain Range. See Michael Lanza's recommended hikes in the Sawtooths in his blog, the Big Outside. See a recommended major loop in the White Clouds in Backpacker mag. For a great hike in the Pioneers, see my blog post about hiking Broad Canyon. For the Big Lost range, see this overview in Summit Post.com. 

6. Sleep under the stars in a dark sky venue like Bear Valley, the Owyhee Canyonlands or outside of Stanley.

Catch a trout on the Middle Fork Salmon River. 

7. Fly into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and go fly-fishing for native cutthroat trout. Air taxi services in Boise, Cascade or McCall can take you into the Middle Fork in less than an hour. All fishing is catch and release.

8. Go mountain biking on a classic loop trail like Fisher-Williams in the White Clouds, Loon Lake north of McCall or Around the Mountain at Bogus Basin. 

Climbing up a short hill to finish the Fisher-Williams Loop (courtesy Salsa cycles)

9. Go SUP'ing, boating or swimming in a refreshing, natural Idaho mountain lake like Payette Lake, Redfish Lake, or Priest Lake.

10. Go see an outdoor concert! See a summer roundup in the Idaho Statesman for a full rundown of outdoor concerts planned in the summer of 2019.

For further enrichment on Idaho bucket list trips, see an Idaho bucket list post from Boise State radio, and a post that I did listing another 30 bucket list trips that they didn't cover.
- SS

Stueby's last-minute camping and river-floating tips for Labor Day weekend

Stay cool! Go boating on the Cabarton reach of the Payette River! 

How about a spin around Redfish Lake? 

Sit on top kayaks are a perfect choice for the weekend ... 

Lick Creek Summit area, Payette National Forest ... near McCall.

Hi all, 

Labor Day weekend is upon us, the typical last weekend of camping in the summer season, so I'm dishing up some last-minute tips for the three-day weekend. 

Before we get into the camping ideas, both Bogus Basin and Brundage Mountain have some fun stuff going on this weekend. 

This Saturday, Sept. 2, marks the final Music on the Mountain at Bogus Basin for the summer. The event, sponsored by 10 Barrel Brewing Co., will feature live music throughout the afternoon in the newly landscaped base area outside of the Simplot Lodge. Fun Zone activities, including summer tubing, bungee trampoline, gem panning, and climbing wall, will operate from 11 am to 7 pm., and so will the Deer Point Chairlift. Single ride tickets are $15 and a full-day pass is $30. Get up there early in the morning, do a hike or a bike ride, and then kick back in the afternoon and enjoy some live music. 

The music lineup is as follows: 

1:00 – 2:45 pm Sono Fuego

3:00 – 4:45 pm Hot Pursuit

5:00 – 7:00 pm Voice of Reason

At Brundage, the Bluebird Chair will be running from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Thursday through Monday. Lift fees are $15 for one ride, and $35 for a full day. 

On Friday night, Sept. 1st, Brundage is hosting a Dinner and Music event, featuring the Emily Stanton Band, a Soul R&B artist. The event starts at 6 p.m. They're serving a cajun crawfish boil for dinner. The event costs $25 each. 

Now, on to the camping ideas and other Labor Day ideas ... since it's going to be warm in Boise this weekend, with temperatures in the high 90s Saturday and Sunday and maybe 100 degrees on Monday, it would be nice to cool off at higher elevations in the national forest! You might even want to go paddling or boating on a lake or a river!

Cabarton run on the Payette River as it flows below the Rainbow Bridge ID 55

• Float Cabarton on the Payette River one more time - The flow is 1,500 cfs, which is the typical summertime flow on the North Fork of the Payette River. Get a group of friends together or hire an outfitter and go float Cabarton, the best day trip in SW Idaho. It's got a little whitewater, swimming in the flatwater sections, and great lunch spots along the way. 
• Float the Boise River, Swirly Canyon on the South Fork Payette, or the Main Payette. There's only a few more days of raftable flows on the South Fork Payette Canyon and Staircase runs, so it'd be good to nail those runs before the flows go away. These are Class 4 runs best done with outfitters or experienced boaters. See my guide, Paddling the Payette for information and waterproof maps. If you run the Main Payette, use caution at Go Left, and scout it from the highway on the way to the put-in. Lots of rafts are flipping in there.
  
  

• Cascade area - Stolle Meadows and Landmark are my favorite camping areas in this neck of the woods. There are tons of primitive car-camping spots in both locations, east of Cascade, off the Warm Lake Highway. Plus, there are hot springs in the vicinity. The main road to Stolle Meadows #474 is closed due to a bridge washout, but you can take the Warm Lake cutoff #427 to the meadows. Once there, you can take the road south up to a trailhead for Rice Lake and Rice Peak. Nice and easy hike up to Rice Peak, and you can explore ridge tops from there ... In the Landmark area, there's a little-known mountain bike loop from the McClure Trail to the Buck Creek Trail ... it's kind of obscure, so not sure how much downfall is on the trail. 

  

  Lick Creek area in the Payette National Forest 

• McCall area - Camping, hiking and backpacking in the Lick Creek area NE of McCall should be fabulous. Some of the nice mountain lakes up there include Box, Snowslide, Duck, Hum, Enos and Thirty-three lakes. Pick up a Payette National Forest map or a McCall Adventure Map to get the details for access. Also, check my blog from earlier this summer on five easy-to-access kid-friendly mountain lakes in the McCall area. 

  

  Stanley Lake 

• Stanley area - I'm sure the Stanley area will be hopping with lots of campers at Stanley Lake, Redfish Lake, Pettit Lake and points along the Salmon River. Backpacking in the White Clouds should be dandy, particularly from the East Fork side, being a three-day weekend and all. Don't forget the Marsh Creek Trail as another potential destination ... great hiking and fly fishing spot. Hike up to the junction of Bear Valley and Marsh Creeks, and there's a huge glory hole right there. 

  

  North and Middle Forks of the Boise River ... car-camping mecca 

• Idaho City area - The North and Middle Forks of the Boise River work great for car camping. See my post from last week.  
• Salmon River beaches - Should be fab upstream of Riggins. Pick your spot, bring your rafts and kayaks, and your volleyball and bocce ball sets. Get there early! The prime beaches will be taken early. 

If you're staying in town, I'm hearing that some people will be taking in the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic, going on from Thursday through Sunday. There are supposed to be more than 5,000 balloon launches.

Also, Labor Day weekend is chock full of big sales at your favorite outdoor retailers in the Boise area, places like Idaho Mountain Touring, George's Cycles, Boise REI, Greenwood's, McU Sports, Alpenglow Mountain Sport, Idaho River Sports, and Shu's Idaho Running Company, all have some fantastic clothing and gear on sale right now. Great deals! Go get 'em! 
- SS